Guest Post by G3: My Summer Camp Experience

Three of us boys from our church got to go to Bible camp near Peoria Saturday June 22. It was my first time at camp.  For our schedule in the morning we had flagpole (I liked going to the flagpole early), then breakfast, then cabin clean up after.  After that we had Bible hour.  Bible hour was fun because if I did the study I got a York candy bar for reward.  Then we went to our cabins, and then we looked at our paper to see if we passed cabin clean up.  We had break or time alone with God for Bible.  We went to lunch.  The food was good, because there wasn’t any foods there that I didn’t like – and I’m a very picky eater.   Games were next, but I did not like that time.  I didn't like it that much because during games I ended up in the infirmary.  There was a nurse-mom there and I saw her 4 times.  She was very nice and cool.  There were lots of games.  Many games included water and mud.  There was running games and it was very hot.  Ultimate Frisbee and kickball were the games that caused me to get hurt.  I’m sorta competitive. 

My favorite parts about camp were that my cabin leader was amazing, AND I enjoyed the horseback ride. It was fun. I promised my mom I would go on a horseback ride because she seemed to think it was one of the most important parts of the week.  She grew up riding horses almost every week, so she misses it and thinks it’s more important than spelling.  One of the leaders for the horseback riding people told us we could go down a hill.  So, when I went down the hill, it was very muddy.  Some went down the hill; the horses almost fell all the way down the hill.  The good thing was that I didn't fall down the hill, and I was thankful.  I didn't do paintball though because my mom forgot to sign the form.  Actually, I didn't know we had to sign it, so I will probably do paintball next year.  They also had a pool with one Not-so-springy diving board, but it was still fun though because I had friends there to play with.  When we had chapel (in the evening), the pastor who taught chapel was amazing.  The theme for the week at camp was our identity in Christ, and who we really are.  So we studied the life of Christ. 

I would like to go back to this camp after I try the other summer camp in Wisconsin that my brother went to last year.  There aren’t girls at the Wisconsin camp like there are at the Illinois camp that I attended with my brother and friend from church.  It was weird to be unplugged and I don’t even have a cell phone.  We couldn’t check the Blackhawks hockey match for the Stanley Cup because there weren’t even any cell phone towers to get a signal!  Can you imagine?!

BRU: Staying Healthy when Traveling with Kids

 

 

     When traveling with our kids, nausea is always a problem so we carry an airplane sickness bag even when not in airplane.  We don't sleep well on the plane, so we have ear plugs, socks, eye cover & usually a comfy sweatshirt to wear.  We always try to sleep on the plane going East to Europe, because generally the plane arrives in the destination city in the morning and there are places to go and people to see.  There is no time for jet lag, we just push through it until we drop.  

     This past trip to Brussels, there was a strategic siesta & we sleep well, but not until the second day.  The first day, we found our apart-hotel (most European rooms don't accommodate 5 people so we use apartment type places as hotels), dropped our bags and headed back to the train station for Brain a'llued, which was near the Battle of Waterloo site where Napoleon met his defeat.  More about the field trip later, but this travel on a sunny day with light sweat shirts and hats kept us moving and in fresh air for the remainder of the first day (the one where we just got off the plane).  The second day was planned for an exploration of Brussels which allowed for easier access to the hotel room, a nap (siesta) and an evening of Grand Place Brussels with the proper lighting.  The third day was a short trip to Brugge and walking/fresh air, so it meant everyone slept hard that night.  We then left on the next morning and stayed up on the plane to watch movies (we don't have cable tv) and take short naps on the West-bound plane.

     When traveling like this, we try to take advantage of every minute to see things we may not ever see again. This is not a vacation.  We do take time to wash hands often & drink plenty of water, then check with each child daily if their urine was yellow, indicating a need to drink more water.  I am a true mom and always asked to know if there were daily visits to keep their system regular or if they need a laxative soon.  It's ok to get anti-nausea meds in another language, and the same goes for diarrhea meds.  Also, we keep track of what we eat in order to protect ourselves -we don't want to get to a once in a lifetime place or site & spend the majority of our trip with food poisoning.  Staying healthy on the trip means we will be healthy when we return to home also.
     And finally, we walked for miles and saw so much, used public transport sparingly--and only then when we really needed to avoid using expensive taxis or injury.  We meet amazing people on trains, trams, buses and boats.  That's what our trips are about, getting out to see the country and meet people, not just relaxing by the pool or in front of the ski lodge fireplace.  

Interest Lead - Life Skill - Phys Ed - Whatever!

So many people partner with us to teach 3Gs.  D&Am are part of that team. Am is intense and knowledgeable about dance.  She shared that a long time ago, but I didn't know if the Gs would go for it.  But bowling was over and DandAm are headed away for work soon. I just couldn't let a little reluctance or rigidity keep us from trying to learn how to dance from Am. D is there to reflect on what he's learned about dance too, but Am runs the dance floor.  This is an hour of dance and cultural lessons for my tweens and me, so we all get exercise.  More about DandAm later b/c they're awesome!

Action shots: Waltz

 Review smooth dance steps